Elf
Elves were a race of beings who migrated to Alagaësia in the distant past; the exact date is unknown. Humanoid in appearance, they had noticeably angular features, slanting eyebrows, and pointed ears; they were generally tall and slim, and were, according to legend, the fairest people of the land, partly because of physical transformation caused by the dragons' influence on them (and were thus called the Fair Folk). More elves were greatly gifted with magic than the other races, and had an innate knowledge of their true names. Skills Elves possessed inhuman strength and speed. It was said by Brom that even the weakest elf can overpower any human with ease. Elves mainly prefer to use bows, arrows and swords, rarely "bothering" to make any other kind of weapons. However, if they were about to make a sword it would be something remarkable, as the elves had special skills of working with metal, but they never shared them with any other race. History Origins and Du Fyrn Skulblaka The elves originally inhabited the country of Alalea, but eventually crossed the sea in their silver ships, seeking new lands to settle. When they first arrived in Alagaësia, they viewed the dragons as mere animals; a grave mistake, for when a rash elven youth tracked and killed a dragon as he would a deer, it sparked a terrible war between the two races. The war lasted many years; though the elves repeatedly attempted to alleviate the misunderstanding, they had no way of communicating with the dragons, until an elf named Eragon found an abandoned dragon egg and raised the dragon that hatched from it as his own. When the dragon, named Bid'Daum, was strong enough to support his weight, Eragon acted as an intermediary between the two races, and came to be known as a Shur'tugal, or Dragon Rider. As a result of the pair's peacemaking work, which resulted in a permanent pact between elf and dragon, it was decided to establish the order of the Dragon Riders to maintain stability in Alagaësia. Elves were originally mortal, only gaining their immortality and magical power from the bond with the dragons, much as human Riders do. It is not clear, however, how the effects of a bond with the dragons influenced all the elves, rather than just those of them that bonded with a dragon to become a Rider. The Era of the Dragon Riders The new found link between the races was mutually beneficial; it granted the dragons the gift of speech, and elves the gift of immortality. After the war was over, elves started obsessing over dragons and loving them much more than anyone else, save a dragon's Rider. Later, Anurin, head of the Riders decided to include humans into the pact with the dragons, even though Dellanir, the elf queen, did not approve of it. She kicked the riders out of Du Weldenvarden, then later let them back in. Each human Rider, over the course of time, became more elf-like in appearance, in addition to gaining immortal life. The elves faced great devastation during the war with Galbatorix, during which Vrael was slain and the last three dragon eggs were lost. Following the calamity, the elves effectively withdrew from contact with the outside world, settling deep into the Du Weldenvarden, in their woodland capital city of Ellesméra. Afterward One of the few elves to venture beyond the borders of Du Weldenvarden was Arya, and she earned the disfavor of her mother, Queen Islanzadí, by doing so. Arya, along with her guardians Fäolin and Glenwing, became the courier of the one dragon egg that had been recovered by Brom and Jeod, and spent many years transporting the egg back and forth between Osilon and Farthen Dûr. Through Arya's actions, the elves maintained an alliance with the Varden, while not openly supporting it. Culture Both men and women had equal rights in elvish society; both could be warriors and leaders. There have been both male and female monarchs. Elves did not follow any form of religion; strict agnostics to the point of atheism, they maintained that there was not enough proof for the existence of a deity. The elves were vegetarians, believing that all forms of life should be respected. They would not have killed anything after being inside its mind and knowing what it felt like for it to be alive. They also had a great love of nature, evidenced by their architecture. Elves did not practice marriage, but took mates for as long as they wanted. This resulted in many short partnerships, which meant that elven children were rare and cherished; at the time of Eragon's training with Oromis there were only two in Ellesméra. Elves did not tend to hold grudges knowing that they could be kept for a millennium. Relationships between Humans and elves were rare, due to the different species, culture and the lifespan of both races. Christopher Paolini has stated in a recent interview that half-human, half-elven offspring were not immortal like their elf parent. Instead, they had long lives and most weren't able to have children of their own. Notable elves *Eragon, the first Dragon Rider *Oromis, the last Rider of old, tutor of Eragon *Arya, the ambassador of Islanzadí and heir to the throne of Ellesméra *Islanzadí, current queen of Du Weldenvarden and Arya's mother *Evandar, deceased king of Du Weldenvarden and Arya's father *Vanir, Eragon's sparring partner *Rhunön, the most skilled sword smith in Alagaësia *Blödhgarm, leader of the twelve elves sent to guard Eragon *Alanna and Dusan, the only two elf children currently in Ellesméra *Lifaen and Nari, Eragon, Arya and Orik's Escorts from Ceris to Ellesméra Effects of the Dragon Rider bond While it was at first assumed that elves always looked as they did, after his transformation by the Dragon Spirit during the Blood-Oath Celebration, Eragon acquired an elf-like appearance and their abilities as well. This suggests that much of the power and 'beauty' of the elves was related to their pact with the dragons, as otherwise, Eragon would not have been able to gain abilities like theirs from the dragons alone. It was also stated that human Riders gain more elf-like features the longer they live and are bonded with their dragon. Real-world connections Much of the elves' culture contain Japanese overtones, especially their language and practices, along with some elements of Shinto and Buddhist traditions, such as a respect for nature and all life. The elves are most likely, like much of the series, inspired by the works of J.R.R Tolkien. Like Tolkien's elves, Paolini's are much greater and more beautiful than the mortal races of their world. They hold more powerful magics and a greater understanding and wisdom of the workings of the world than the average man or dwarf. However that seems to be where the similarity's end. es:Elfo Category:Species Elf Category:Magic users